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Luca stares at the red colored motorcycle that’s on the other side of the glass. It’s a bit rusty, so he guesses it’s an old model. He presses his face against the glass to get a closer look, but Giulia walks over to him and pulls him back.
“Luca, don’t do that. You’ll fog up the window,” Giulia tells him. “What are you staring at anyway?”
Luca gestures over to the vespa. Giulia looks over and whistles. “Santa mozzarella. That looks pretty.” She looks back at her friend. “Are you thinking about buying it?”
Luca’s eyes widen and he quickly shakes his head. “No, no. I can’t. I don’t even have the money.”
Giulia shrugs. “You can get a job,” she suggests, “or mamma can help.”
“I don’t think I’m qualified enough for a job,” Luca mumbles. “And I don’t want to ask your mom, she’s already doing a lot for me.”
Luca looks at the vespa with sad eyes. He sighs and looks at the red-head next to him. “Let’s go find something else.”
“Qualsiasi cosa tu dica,” Giulia says with a shrug. “Alberto would love it, though. Isn’t that the model he’s always talking about?”
Luca bites his lip. Alberto’s coming to Genova in a few days to celebrate his birthday here for the first time, and Luca wants his gift to be perfect. He did think about getting the vespa for him, since that is the one he always talks about, but he decided against it. He doesn’t have the money to, and while he could ask Giulia’s mom, asking to get a vespa is much different than asking for new school supplies.
“It could be like a declaration of love,” Giulia continues with a smirk, causing her friend to blush.
At this point, it’s so secret Luca has a giant crush on Alberto. Well, ‘crush’ wouldn’t be the right word now, more like he loves Alberto. Giulia already knew for a while, which made Luca scared that it was that obvious. His family knows, too, with the way Daniela talks about his friendship with Alberto, and how Nonna Paguro gives Luca all these tips on how to ‘impress another seamonster.’
Luca doesn’t say anything. Giulia has told him over and over that Alberto likes him too, and while for the most part he doesn’t believe it, there’s a part in his brain that hopes it is true, and that Alberto does love him as much as Luca does.
“How would I even get it, though?” Luca sighs, leaning against the wall.
“Again, you can ask my mom to help,” Giulia answers. “And before you say anything, I promise she won’t mind it. I mean, she’s a inguaribile romantico! She’ll happily help.”
Luca considers the idea for a moment. Really, it’s the perfect gift for Alberto’s 17th birthday. That, and he knows Massimo won’t mind it, since he’s talked about getting Alberto a vespa as well. He also knows Giulia’s mom may agree, since — like Giulia said herself — her mom is a hopeless romantic.
He looks over at the red-head. “Are you positive that she’ll say yes?” he asks.
Giulia smiles. “Sì! I know she will!” She clasps her hands together. “Come on! Let’s go ask her!”
•
Luca lets Giulia do most of the talking, since he isn’t that great at persuading people. She has a whole list of reasons why they should buy the motorcycle (one, it’s for Alberto. Two, it’s for his birthday. Three, he’s been asking for one for ages. And four, they could all take a ride on it!) She doesn’t have to finish listing off her reasons, though, because Maria immediately agrees when Giulia tells her it’s for Alberto.
“Of course I’ll help, miele,” Maria, Giulia’s mother, tells Luca. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
Luca beams. “Really? Oh, grazie!”
He gives Maria a big hug, and Maria happily hugs him back. She hugs him for a few seconds and then pulls away, kissing his forehead. “So, ragazzo, are you thinking about buying it today?” she asks.
Luca exchanges a quick look with Giulia before looking back at her mother. “Uhm, yes. If it’s possible.”
“Non preoccuparti! Of course it’s possible!” Maria says with a smile. She ruffles the boy's hair and grabs her bag from the stair railing. “Come on. Andiamo.”
Luca practically jumps from joy. He gives Maria another hug before they leave. In the corner of his eye, he notices the rusty and red vespa in its display. The sight of it makes Luca smile. He can already imagine Alberto on the vespa, sunglasses on as he rides around Portorosso.
“È quello?” Maria asks Luca, pointing to the vespa he’s looking at.
Luca replies with a nod. The three of them walk into the shop, which was filled with vespa's and keychains and helmets, and other things that Luca isn’t too familiar with. Right now, he’s more focused on the vespa that’s right next to him. Aside from the slight rust and chipped paint in some parts, it seems to be in good shape.
“It looks good, doesn’t it?” An older man says, standing next to Luca. “It’s a bit old, but it works well.”
Luca looks over at the man. He’s older, with gray starting to spread in his hair. Most of it is covered by his hat, though. He’s hunched over, with wrinkles covering his face. Luca gives the man a small smile. “Hello, Signor —”
“— Amato,” the man finishes for him. “I’m the proprietario of this shop.”
Luca nods and doesn’t say anything else. Maria and Giulia walk over to them. “Ciao, Signor Amato.” Maria smiles. “Are you selling this vespa?”
“Sì, of course I am. It wouldn’t be on display if I wasn’t,” Signor Amato chuckles. “Why? Are you interested in buying it?”
Maria nods, and the two adults go over to the counter to finalize the order. That afternoon, the three go back home with a vespa. Luca has a big smile on his face the entire time. He can imagine Alberto here already, seeing the red vespa that’s just for him. He can imagine Alberto crying tears of joy and giving Luca a big hug, maybe even kissing him.
Luca and Giulia spend the afternoon painting over the chipped paint, giving it a shiny finish. “Alberto’s going to love this,” Giulia says.
Luca smiles. He’ll definitely love it.
•
A few days pass, and it’s finally time for Alberto’s visit. Luca, Giulia, and Maria wait for him by the train station, and they’re greeted with hugs from Alberto and Massimo. Luca can’t help but stare at the other sea monster. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last seen each other, but to Luca it feels like centuries. He’s taller now, and his hair is slightly longer too. He’s developed some hair above his upper lip, and Luca thinks it makes him look more handsome than he already is.
He can’t tell if Alberto knows he’s staring, but Giulia can tell. She tugs on his arm. “We get it, Luca, you like him,” she whispers. “Now stop staring!”
Luca blushes but obliges. He looks away and grabs Alberto’s bags while he’s saying hi to Giulia’s mother. They’re talking about Giulia and Luca, while Maria’s sharing stories about them. One story in participating makes Luca want to scream in a pillow. It’s a story Giulia told her, about how Luca rejected a girl who asked him out. He didn’t think it was a story worth sharing, but Maria thought otherwise.
“Well, I hope you won’t say ‘no’ if I ask you out.” Alberto smirks.
The response makes Luca's stomach flip. Of course he won’t say no if Alberto asks him out, but he doesn’t need to know that yet. Besides, why would he say that? Was he flirting? He doesn’t flirt with Luca, though. Actually, now that he thinks about it, some of things Alberto has said to him does seem — well, flirty. ‘You smell really great,’ or, ‘You’re really pretty. Like the stars.’ Those all sound pretty flirty.
Why would Alberto flirt with him though? From what Luca understands, you usually flirt with people you find attractive, or people you like romantically. Alberto doesn’t like him romantically though, right? Unless…
Luca doesn’t finish his thought, because the sound of barks bring him back into reality. Maria’s dog, Angelo, is on top of him, licking his cheek to the point that the side of his face is all blue and scaly. Luca laughs, stroking Angelo’s fur as he gets off of the floor. “Okay, okay! Hi to you too, Angelo.”
Angelo wags his tail and runs over to Alberto, doing the same thing he did to Luca. Alberto’s a bit scared at first, but he warms up to the pet quickly. Luca sets the bags on the side as he kicks his shoes off, Giulia doing the same.
“Since your birthday is tomorrow, I’ve prepared an amazing meal for you, Alberto,” Maria says. “We also have a big surprise for you.”
“Really?” Alberto’s head perks up at the word ‘surprise.’ “Can I see?”
“That’ll ruin the surprise, you idiota!” Giulia says in a playful tone.
Alberto rolls his eyes with a small smile. “Fine, fine. Don’t tell me.” he says.
Luca smiles and gets up from the couch he was sitting on. “Do you wanna see your room, Beto?”
He swears he can see Alberto blush at the nickname, but he tells himself it’s just the trick of the light. Alberto nods, and Luca leads Alberto upstairs to the guest bedroom. Originally, he was supposed to stay in Luca’s room, but Luca had a feeling Alberto wouldn’t be too comfortable sleeping on the floor. Giulia suggested they could sleep in the same bed, but Luca shut that suggestion down immediately.
He can’t lie, the thought of cuddling up against Alberto while they’re sleeping sounded nice, but that also sounded way too intimate. It was something couples did, and he and Alberto were not a couple.
There isn’t anything interesting in the guest bedroom. The walls are painted beige with a few photos of Maria, Giulia, and Luca. There’s a nightstand next to the bed, with some clothes laid out on the bed. Other than that, though, there wasn’t anything else.
Alberto stretches out on the bed while Luca sits next to me. “So, are you gonna show me around Genova?”
Luca smiles. “Of course! After lunch, though. Giulia’s mom is making pasta.”
“Oh? Is it better than my pasta?” Alberto smirks, raising an eyebrow.
Over the years, Alberto has gotten better at cooking. It took a lot of trial and error (and a lot of food explosions) but he can now say he’s an expert at cooking. Luca sighs with a shrug. “I dunno, Beto. I think it is.”
Alberto gasps dramatically as he slaps a hand over his heart. “That hurt, Paguro,” he whispers out, causing Luca to laugh.
The taller boy laughs as well and sits straight up, leaning against Luca’s side. Luca feels his face heat up, and he looks down at his lap. Alberto sighs. “I’ve missed you, ya know,” he says. “I know it’s only been a few weeks since we last saw each other, but… few weeks is a long time.”
“Yeah. I know.” Luca smiles as he looks at Alberto. “I’ve missed you, too. But hey, at least you’re here now, right?”
Alberto looks at Luca with a smile. “Yeah,” he whispers.
He presses his forehead against Luca’s, and they’re so close now. They’re so close to the point Luca can count the freckles on his cheeks. They’re so close to the point that he could feel Alberto’s breath on his face. Alberto looks at Luca, eyes sparkling, and leans in. Their lips are slightly touching —
There’s a knock at the door. Luca immediately pulls away, his face red and hot. He looks at Alberto, who’s looking at the floor with a red face. The door opens and Giulia pokes her head inside the room. “Hey, ragazzi. Mom told me to tell you that — uh, did something happen?”
Luca looks at Giulia. “No!” He squeaks out quickly. He winces and clears his throat. “Uhm. I mean, no! Uh, nothing happened.”
Alberto nods quickly, but Giulia doesn’t believe them. Nonetheless, she nods at his response. “O… kay. Anyway, lunch is ready.”
She goes back to the dining room, still confused as to why their faces look like that. Luca looks over at Alberto for a few seconds before he looks at his lap, fiddling with his fingers. “We should, uh, go eat lunch,” he mumbles.
“Yeah,” Alberto whispers. He doesn’t say anything else.
They sit in silence for a few seconds, the only sounds being the wind from outside and the clock ticking. Luca gets off the bed and walks out of the room, with Alberto following behind. Everyone else is already in the dining room, all laughing at a funny story Massimo shared.
Maria looks at the two boys that just appeared. “Ah! There you two are! Come, sit down.”
The two sit down next to each other and eat their food. There’s some awkward tension between them, so Luca tries to fight it off by conversing with Alberto like normal. It works, and Alberto talks and jokes with Luca like nothing happened.
After lunch, Luca shows Alberto the many sights of Genova, like their aquariums and their many museums. Luca wants to talk about what happened earlier, but he doesn’t want that awkwardness back. So instead, they talk about the many buildings they’re passing by, or about the different snacks they’re trying.
After a while they take a break, sitting on the bench eating gelato they bought from a nearby gelato shop. Alberto has his legs crossed, looking at the people passing by. Luca hesitantly leans against the other boy’s side, finishing his ice cream.
Alberto keeps quiet, so Luca takes this time to think about what happened. Why was Alberto looking at him like that? Why did he lean in? Did he want to kiss Luca? He hopes that’s a yes. Why else would he do that?
Luca thinks about what Giulia has been saying, about how Alberto likes him, too. Luca didn’t listen to her at first, but he’s slowly starting to believe her now. There’s still some doubt, but it’s slowly going away.
Alberto finishes his gelato in silence, and they continue to walk around the city. A couple of hours pass by, they eat dinner (which consists of spaghetti with some breadsticks), and then they go to their separate rooms and sleep. Luca tries his best to sleep, but his mind is still thinking about what happened. He thinks about how Alberto’s lips felt on his, even though they were barely touching. He thinks about how Alberto’s eyes were sparkling when he looked at Luca.
Luca falls asleep after a few minutes. That night, he dreams about holding Alberto’s hand and taking him out on dates. That night, he dreams about seeing the world with Alberto, just the two of them.
•
“Happy birthday!”
Luca, Giulia, Maria, and Massimo all yell it in unison when Alberto walks into the dining room. Alberto tries to act embarrassed, but really, he’s over the moon. Birthdays weren’t something Alberto looked forward to when he was younger, but now they’re something that makes him want to jump in joy.
Maria makes her signature ‘birthday pancakes’, which is just a stack of pancakes with a birthday candle on it. Still, they make Alberto smile.
“What’s the plan today, festeggiato?” Giulia asks, ruffling her brother's hair.
Alberto shrugs, stuffing a whole pancake in his mouth. “I dunno,” he muffles out.
“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, figlio,” Massimo tells him, giving him a napkin.
Alberto rolls his eyes but nods, gulping the food down before speaking again. “I wanna see that surprise, though.”
“We’re saving that for later,” Luca says.
“Aw, come on!” Alberto whines. “Just show me!”
“Not yet, fratello,” Giulia laughs. “You can be patient, right?”
“Fine, I’ll wait,” Alberto groans, stuffing more of the pancakes in his mouth.
The rest of the day is simple, but Alberto doesn’t mind it. He spent some time playing cards with Giulia (and winning), and he spent some time painting with Maria. Most of his time is spent with Luca, though, who’s telling him about all these stars and constellations. Usually, Alberto isn’t interested in stuff like this, but he listens in because it’s Luca. He listens to Luca’s voice and his words, because no matter what he’s talking about, Alberto will always listen to him.
Time passes by quickly, much to Alberto’s surprise. Dinner is a huge feast, with different foods that makes Alberto’s mouth water. It’s topped with a vanilla cake for dessert, with ‘Happy birthday’ written in cursive. He blows out all the candles and eats most of the cake, still saving some for everyone else though.
After dessert, Luca leads him out to the garage. Alberto’s a little confused, and curious. “Where are you taking me?” he asks.
“Don’t you wanna see your gift?” Luca laughs. Alberto smiles, and he lets Luca lead him over to the building.
They’re standing in front of something that’s covered in a white blanket. Alberto looks at Luca, confused. Luca just smiles at him. “Close your eyes.”
Alberto slowly nods and covers his eyes with his hands. He hears some steps coming from different parts of the garage, and after a few seconds Luca tells him, “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”
Alberto opens his eyes, looking at the red motorcycle that’s in front of him. His eyes are wide, and his mouth is open in shock. He doesn’t say anything, he just looks at Luca then back at the vespa repeatedly. “Happy birthday, Beto,” Luca says.
Alberto takes a step closer to the vespa, putting his hand on the handlebars. He doesn’t know what to say. “I — but, how did you —”
“Giulia’s mom helped,” Luca informs. “Giulia and I were shopping at different stores to find a birthday gift, and I saw this and thought about getting it for you.”
Alberto’s in disbelief. Luca got this vespa? For him? He looks at Luca, still shocked. He’s quiet for a few seconds and doesn’t do anything. Then, he gives Luca a big hug, hiding his face in his shoulder. Luca hugs him back, and they stay like that for a while. Alberto pulls away, a giant smile on his lips. “Luca, I — I just don’t know what to say,” he laughs. “This is perfect!”
There’s tears of happiness in his eyes. He hugs Luca again and pulls away. “This — this is amazing. Wow, I — I could kiss you right now —”
He quickly slaps a hand over his mouth, face red. He looks at Luca, whose face is also red. Did he just say that? Did he just say he could kiss Luca right now? He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t supposed to say that out loud!
“Uh.” Alberto clears his throat, trying to figure out how to respond. “Ignore what I just said. That — I — just ignore it. I didn’t — uhm.”
He stops talking. Nothing of what he’s saying makes sense, and he feels like if he continues it’ll get worse. Luca’s just looking at him, eyes wide and not saying anything. Then, he takes one step forward, then another, and now they’re so close that their lips are slightly touching. Alberto doesn’t know what to do, so he just stands there. Luca sets his hands on Alberto’s shoulders, and Alberto has a good idea on what Luca’s doing; something that Alberto also wants to do.
Alberto rests his hands on Luca’s waist, and he leans in. He leans in close enough that their lips are actually touching. Then, he leans in more, and they’re finally kissing.
The kiss is slow and soft. It’s a kiss filled with love, happiness, and joy. It’s a kiss that makes both of them feel like they’re flying. It’s a kiss that’s quick, a kiss that stops after a few seconds when Luca pulls away.
Alberto bites his lip and kisses him again. It’s a kiss that’s quicker than the first one, but is filled with the same love and happiness and joy. He pulls away, his hands cupping Luca’s face. “I didn’t think you like me,” he whispers.
“I didn’t think you like me, either,” Luca whispers back, giggling. He presses his forehead against Alberto’s, squeezing his hand as he looks up at the other boy.
Alberto is practically bouncing on his feet. He kisses Luca again and again and again, before pulling away and looking at the red vespa. He hops on the seat, moving the handlebars side to side. “I still can’t believe you bought this for me.”
Luca sits on the seat behind him, wrapping his arms around Alberto’s waist. “Of course I did,” he hums. “Why wouldn’t I get a vespa for the boy I love?”
Alberto turns around to look at Luca. The boy he loves? “You love me?” he asks, high-pitched.
Luca blushes. “Of course,” he says. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Alberto smiles and kisses Luca again, intertwining his fingers with the other boy’s. “I love you, too,” he murmurs, voice soft.
They stay like this for a little while, whispering quiet ‘I love you’s’ while they stare at each other. Luca squeezes Alberto’s hand again. “Buon compleanno, amore,” he says.
Alberto hugs Luca tightly, kissing his cheek. Buon compleanno.